President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have both faced criticism recently over their memories. But when should memory problems prompt a person to be screened for dementia?
Biden and Trump’s age and fitness for the presidency at 81 and 77 years old respectively is a top-of-mind issue for voters. A Feb. 6 national NBC poll found three-quarters of respondents, including half of Democrats, have concerns about Biden’s mental and physical health. Slightly less than half, 48%, said the same about Trump.
President Joe Biden was recently declared fit for duty by his physician after his annual physical on Feb. 28, the same month a special counsel report raised concerns about his memory. However, Biden did not undergo a cognitive exam because both his primary care doctor and neurologist said it wasn’t necessary, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Neurologists told NBC News the memory issues the president has displayed recently — namely forgetting dates and mixing up names — do not indicate Biden has dementia and instead could just be a normal part of aging.
At the press conference after Biden’s physical, Jean-Pierre said he “passes a cognitive test every day” because he constantly “moves from one topic to another topic, understanding the granular level of these topics.” And within hours of the release of the special counsel report, Biden staunchly defended his cognition, telling reporters, “My memory’s fine,” though later in his speech he mixed up the names of two heads of state for the third time that week.
President Donald Trump has also displayed memory issues, recently mixing up fellow presidential candidate and former Gov. Nikki Haley and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Trump has also confused Biden and former President Barack Obama at least seven times, Forbes reported. Trump has boasted in the past about acing a cognitive test that screens for early dementia, though it’s not clear when he last took it. In 2018,…
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